Stream come true for fans

Adam Turner

CDs are being left behind in favour of online subscription services that cater to every musical taste.Illustration: John Shakespeare.

If your CD collection is gathering dust, would it make more sense to rent your music? For the cost of half a dozen CDs a year, you can choose an online all-you-can-consume subscription music services, letting you listen to new music and an extensive back catalogue for a flat monthly fee. Some even offer free music interspersed with advertising, not unlike commercial radio.

As internet speeds increase and data costs fall, the idea of ''buying'' music could soon seem as antiquated as buying a cow for milk.

Most subscription music services have desktop software for listening on your computer, or they play straight from your web browser. You have access to millions of tracks but, thankfully, all that music doesn't need to stay locked away on your computer.

For a few extra dollars, you can also tap into the music library from your smartphone or tablet. It's also easy to stream music to speakers in every room, controlling it all from the phone in your pocket.

Gadget-makers have been quick to see the potential of streaming music, and you'll find services from Sony, Samsung, BlackBerry and Microsoft, among others. Apple is notably absent, with iTunes Match letting you stream only music you already own.

Choosing the right subscription service depends on how you want to listen to music and which gadgets you own. Some services are designed around listening to albums; others focus more on creating virtual radio stations.

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If you want to listen to an album from start to finish, an album-focused service such as Rdio or Spotify might suit. If you're happy to listen to a mix of songs by similar artists, opt for a cheaper station-focused service, such as Pandora or Last.fm. It's also worth investigating free internet radio stations that cater for every taste (start at tunein.com).

Streaming services, focused on albums or stations, place a growing focus on ''music discovery'', letting you see what's popular and what your friends are listening to.

If you're on the lookout for new music, pay attention to the social-networking and music-discovery features; if you're more interested in exploring the back catalogues of your favourite artists and their influences, recommendation features might be of more use.

Some services even predict your musical tastes by keeping track of whether you've given James Brown the thumbs up and James Blunt the thumbs down.

But it's important to keep an eye on your download limit - especially on mobile devices. Music services chew through between 70 megabytes and 140 megabytes an hour, so listening to two albums a day could consume more than six gigabytes a month.

If you're worried about your data usage or want to enjoy your music when you're not connected to the internet, some services let you cache music on your devices. MOG deserves a special mention here as it doesn't count towards your mobile broadband limit if you're a Telstra BigPond or Next G customer.

The downside of subscription music is, if you stop paying your subscription, you lose access to all that music. But this is also a strength. Subscription services tend to offer free trials followed by monthly billing with no lock-in, so it's easy to try a few to see which suits you best and then jump ship later if something better comes along.

Spoilt for choice

Most services offer a free trial period, after which you can sign up for a basic or premium plan, although a few offer free ad-supported plans.